THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 12, 2024 ~ The Advocate Asks ~ Page 3 Saugus teacher Shelagh O’Connell credits Boston Children’s Hospital for making it possible for her to run in her eighth Boston Marathon on Monday Editor’s Note: For this week’s interview, we sat down with Shelagh O’Connell, one of nine Saugus residents who are registered to run in the 128th Boston Marathon, which is set for next Monday – Patriots’ Day, April 15. O’Connell, 35, is a special needs teacher at the Belmonte STEAM Academy who will be running in her eighth Boston Marathon – her third consecutive year helping to raise money for her favorite charity – Boston Children’s Hospital, the cause she credits for making her physically able to run the grueling 26.2 mile course that will draw a field of 33,000 runners from all over the world. She will be running for two children who have been receiving care at Boston Children’s Hospital since a short time after they were born. O’Connell grew up in Winthrop and is a 2007 graduate of Winthrop High School. She graduated from Salem State University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Psychology. She began teaching at the Veterans Elementary School in 2013 and has worked in Saugus Public Schools for more than a decade. She’s been a Saugus resident for the past four years. Highlights of this week’s interview follow. Q: How did you get involved in marathon running? A: I have been running since I was a child. And watching the marathon on TV as a kid, I know it was something I wanted to get involved with. Q: And why Boston? A: When I was young, I told my mom that I was going to run in the Olympics or run in the Boston Marathon. Q: When did you start running? A: I started running when I was in the fifth grade. Q: How long have you been running? Why do you run? What do you get out of it? A: I have been running since I was 10. I did not love it at first as much as I do now. But when I started coming into my own as a runner, I loved it. I took pride in it, and I ran with a purpose. Q: How many Boston Marathons have you run in? A: I have completed seven Boston Marathons. This will be my eighth. Q: What cause will you be THE NEW FLEA MARKET AT SAINT ANTHONY’S 250 REVERE STREET REVERE, MA 02151 781-910-8615 SATURDAY, APRIL 13 ,2024 FROM 8:00 AM TO 2:00 PM FREE COFFEE AND TEA .50 ADMISSION PLENTY OF NEW VENDORS! WARMING UP: Saugus special needs teacher Shelagh O’Connell shows off this year’s official Boston Marathon jacket that will be worn by her and the 33,000 runners who will be participating in the 128th Boston Marathon on Patriots Day, Monday, April 15. (Courtesy Photo of Ashley Giuffrida to The Saugus Advocate) running for this year? A: Boston Children’s Hospital. I’m one of the runner’s on the team “miles for miracles.” This will be the third year that I’ll be running. It’s the Number One Charity I would choose to run for. There are so many reasons why I love to run for Boston Children’s Hospital. I feel it’s my opportunity to give something back to an organization that’s done so much for me. Q: Please tell me about this special relationship you have with Boston Children’s Hospital. A: First of all, I wouldn’t be able to run at all if it weren’t for Boston Children’s. I was born with congenital dislocation of my right hip. I was diagnosed when I was six months old, and I wound up spending the first two years of my life in BCH. My team of doctors wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to walk. I was in a full body cast from the waist down. But here I am preparing to complete my eighth Boston Marathon. At the age of 17, I returned back to BCH, where I had a scare of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that after surgery, thankfully, came back benign. Q: Please tell me about the kids you are running for. A: For the second year in a row, I will be running for Finley and Harper, my patient partners. Since birth, they have both been patients at Boston Children’s and are seen by multiple doctors. Finley is one of my students. Finley’s journey with Boston Children’s Hospital also started early on. Finley was born six weeks early and remained in the NICU for 16 days. At the age of two and a half, Finley was diagnosed with Smith Magenis Syndrome (SMS) by her team of doctors at BCH. SMS is a rare global developmental disorder. The major features of this condition include mild to moderate intellectual disability, delayed speech and language skills, distinctive facial features, sleep disturbances and behavioral outbursts. Throughout her testing, they discovered Finley was also born with one kidney. Finley currently sees many doctors at BCH, including a neurologist for SMS, neurologist for autism, orthopedic, ophthalmologist, audiologist, a speech pathologist for augmentative communication and a nephrologist. 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